Roman Tomashoff| Aug 25th, 2019
No matter who your CB1 is for the 2020 NFL Draft, I disagree. Whether you think it might be Jeffery Okudah, Paulson Adebo, or C.J. Henderson, you haven’t met the TRUE best corner in the nation. The only reason the entire country doesn’t know his name is because he’s been stuck in one of the deepest defensive backfields in the nation.
When Keith Taylor first got to Washington, he had all the tools to start right away, yet he was limited during his first two seasons on campus because there was a ton of NFL talent in front of him, like Jordan Miller and Byron Murphy. Taylor got his biggest opportunity to shine when Miller went down with injuries during both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and he didn’t disappoint.
Washington has started a line of long, lanky corners who can run very well with great ball skills, and the 6’3, 200 pound Taylor is no exception to that. He’s flexible, fast, has arms that hang down to his knees, and has played in a system that has produced some pretty talented defensive backs.
Here’s an example of the total package that Taylor brings to the table. He’s very strong on the ball and is able to knock it away from a pretty big, strong guy in JJ Arcega-Whiteside.
Taylor is currently slotted to be one of the starting outside corners with the Huskies, and he’s going to get a chance to show the world what he’s got this year. Like every defensive back that has gone through defensive backs coach/co-defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake’s system, he’s excellent in zone coverage, but Taylor truly thrives in man to man. His feet and hips are fluid, his ball skills are second to none, and he knows how to wrap up and tackle too. If he allows a completion, you aren’t getting away from him for any RAC yards.
Here’s another great example of Taylor’s fluidity in coverage. He lets Osiris St. Brown get a step on him, but he’s able to turn his head, find the ball, and while he couldn’t make a play on it, he was able to keep St. Brown far enough away from it without drawing a flag.
Expect a huge year from Keith Taylor this year. The only reason we aren’t talking about him as one of the nation’s elite corners is he hasn’t been able to get on the field consistently yet. But he’s still appeared in every game except for one (according to the official University of Washington website) since he’s gotten to campus. This year, he’ll be a consistent starter, and I expect him to top Byron Murphy‘s mark of 17 total pass breakups from last season.
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